10 reasons you should change your job!

Think about the learning curve you experienced when you started your current job. There was likely a period of fast-paced adaptation, followed by a longer period of learning the finer details of your work. Ideally, you ended this phase by moving into a level of mastery of your daily tasks and became an expert in your part of the organization’s operation.

But are you capable of more? And could you advance your personal base of career-specific knowledge by repeating this process in a new position? The answer could be “yes.”

Some researchers suggest that the typical worker masters his or her specific job over the course of three years. After that point, the pace of industry-focused learning and skill mastery slows. It stands to reason, they argue, that changing jobs after that three-year span ends resets and recharges the process, giving you the opportunity to grow and learn at a rapid pace for another three years in the new job.

While the three-year term isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, it does provide a loose guide and a reference point to evaluate what you’re learning at work. Would changing to a new position within your industry force you to learn new skills? Could those skills complement those you already have, making you a more well-rounded and capable professional? If so, this could be a good reason to start looking for a new job.

2. You can increase your earning power

Professionals who are good at their jobs get noticed. Companies want to employ the best in their field, after all, and where better to find the best in the business than within a competitor’s upper ranks? If you do good work and are skilled at networking within your industry, there’s a good chance you’ll be noticed by competitors.

A better offer may come as a surprise. If you’re good at your current job, odds are you’re happy there. But another company that wants you bad enough may be willing to offer whatever it takes — more money, more flexibility or better benefits — to convince you to join its team.

If you’re approached with a better offer, don’t be afraid to ask tough questions about the company’s business and its work environment. You’re the one holding the power, after all: You can simply reject the offer and stay in your current position if you so choose.

A good outside offer may put you in position to ask for more from your current employer, as well. It’s common practice — and considered courteous in most industries — to give your present employer a chance to counter-offer and keep you on staff. Negotiate right, and you could end up gaining a raise, promotion or other benefits without having to change jobs. If your current employer won’t negotiate, however, you should take that as a sign that you may be better off in a new job.

3. Your current job doesn’t challenge you

You’ve undoubtedly heard friends and family members talk about wanting a “cushy” job — one where the work is easy, slow-paced and not challenging at all. The ideal cushy job, it seems, would almost be a paid nap, with just enough work to keep you looking busy (but not enough to make you truly busy).

The reality of the work environment is quite different. A job can indeed be too easy, with disastrous consequences for your happiness and career growth.

Some sources suggest that the perfect job involves truly challenging, outside-your-comfort-zone work about 20 percent of the time. This is enough of a challenge to keep you on your toes, without leaving you overwhelmed and facing burnout from the stress.

A job with little or no challenging work puts you at risk for a number of job- and career-killing factors. You may slip into bad work habits, such as playing games online or surfing the Internet, to pass time. Your morale could plummet, leaving you unenthusiastic and not ready to jump on opportunities when they arise. And your manager may notice your boredom and take it as a sign that you’re not a valuable employee.

If you find that you’re getting chronically bored at work or don’t have any challenges coming across your desk, it may be time to look for a new job. You owe it to your long-term career goals to stay challenged: Find a job that does that.

4. Your job focuses on your weaknesses

Perhaps you started your current job under the impression that it would let you use your unique strengths to do fulfilling work. When you began work and started learning the ins and outs of your job, you realized that instead of playing to your strengths, the position requires skills, strengths or a disposition that aren’t in line with who you are.

If you’re in a position that plays more to your weaknesses than your strengths, is there a way to shift that balance? Perhaps you can learn new skills that make you better suited for — and more satisfied in — the job. Maybe there’s another position within the company that suits your interests, and you can orchestrate a transition. If the difference between what you need to do and what you want to do is severe, however, you may benefit from talking with your manager.

Be honest with your manager: Explain that the job doesn’t capitalize on your strengths, and you feel it’s best to find an opportunity that better uses what you do well. If you’ve presented your case well, your manager may be willing to work with you and adapt your position, or help you move into a position within the company that better suits your strengths. This isn’t always possible, but giving your manager the chance to help you before you leave will ensure that you’re respected as a professional if you ever need to come back to your firm for a reference.

5. You’re not able to excel

Mediocrity should never be enough; we’re all capable of greatness. But without challenges and opportunities to stretch, mediocrity is probably the best you can expect of yourself if you stay.

6. You’ve stopped having fun and enjoying your job

No matter what changed, when you dread going to work in the morning, it’s time to leave your job.

7. You’re unappreciated

The greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. When you’re not appreciated for the work that you do, it can make you question your own abilities. You deserve to feel gratitude for your contribution.

Management doesn’t acknowledge that you have more to offer than what you’ve been contributing for a significant amount of time, you’ve been passed over for promotion, or attempts to take on more challenging assignments have failed.

Equally if your ideas are not being heard. If your ideas are no longer heard or valued; you can’t seem to get time with the ‘powers that be’; or you cannot get approvals or acknowledgment for great work, think about finding a new job.

8. You lack passion

You’re not waking up most mornings with a feeling of excitement towards your job. That feeling you had when you first started working there–thinking about all the possibilities and contributions ahead with a sense of glee—is gone.

9. You no longer have good work-life balance.

When you find that you’re spending less time with your family because of work, or you cannot commit the necessary time to your job, you should consider looking elsewhere.

10. And the top ten reason for leaving your current job?

You are unchallenged, need more responsibility, and seek opportunities that just don’t exist for you in your current organization. You’ve explored the current and potential options, and they are limited. It’s time to move on.